April 19, 1945: The musical Carousel premieres at the Majestic Theatre, 245 West 44th Street in Midtown Manhattan, just off Broadway. It was based on Liliom, a play by Hungarian author Ferenc Molnár.
The music was written by Richard Rodgers, who later called it his favorite among all his musicals. Oscar Hammerstein II wrote the book and the lyrics.
The story begins in 1873, in a seaside community in Maine. Billy Bigelow is a carnival barker, and Julie Jordan is a millworker. Billy romances Julie while he's on the clock. Julie appreciates this, but his boss doesn't, and Billy is fired. Julie stays out late with Billy. Billy appreciates this, but her boss, who sees them, and presumes this means she won't be on time to work tomorrow morning, doesn't, and she's fired.
Billy and Julie get married. A month goes by, and Billy is offered a chance to make a lot of money -- in a robbery. He's not sure he should do it. Julie tells him she's pregnant. Now, he knows he needs the money, and goes in on the robbery. It goes sideways, and Billy dies. Julie is comforted by her cousin and best friend Nettie Fowler, leading to the musical's most familiar song, "You'll Never Walk Alone."
Billy arrives in Heaven, and is told that the good he's done in life is outweighed by the bad. He's told that as long as there's a person alive who remembers him with fondness, he can get into Heaven.
He's taken to the future, to see his now-grown daughter Louise. He makes himself visible to her, telling her not that he's her father, but that he was her father's friend. He offers her a gift: A star that he took from Heaven. She refuses it. He slaps her hand, seemingly ruining his chance at getting back to Heaven. Julie notices the star on the ground, picks it up, and seems to feel Billy's presence.
Invisible, Billy attends Louise's graduation. Dr. Seldon, the town doctor, who resembles the Starkeeper who has been advising Billy "Up There," tells the graduating class that they shouldn't rely on their parents' successes, but also shouldn't be held back by their failures. Still invisible, Billy whispers in Louise's ear, telling her to believe the doctor. Then he whispers to Julie, telling her that he loves her. Both his widow and his daughter join in singing "You'll Never Walk Alone," and Billy is taken to Heaven.
In the original Broadway production, Billy was played by John Raitt, father of rock legend Bonnie Raitt; Julie by Jan Clayton; Louise by Bambi Linn; Nettie by Christine Johnson; and the dual role of the Starkeeper and Dr. Seldon by Russell Collins.
It was made into a film in 1956. Gordon MacRae played Billy, Shirley Jones played Julie, Susan Luckey played Louise, Claramae Turner played Nettie, and Gene Lockhart played the Starkeeper and the doctor.
"You'll Never Walk Alone" became a standard. Jerry Lewis would use it to close his annual Labor Day telethon for research into muscular dystrophy and related conditions. Elvis Presley made it a mainstay of his live performances from his Las Vegas debut in 1969 until his death in 1977.
In 1963, Liverpool rock band Gerry & The Pacemakers recorded a version that hit Number 1 on the British charts. (It was not released as a single in the U.S.) In the 1960s, at Anfield, the home stadium of Liverpool F.C., games would be preceded by the public address system playing the Top 10 songs in the country. "You'll Never Walk Alone" seemed to stick with the fans, as they began to ask to have it played last every week, even after it began to drop from the charts, just before the team walked onto the pitch. This was done, and Liverpool, managed by Bill Shankly, won the Football League in 1964.
After that, in England, the song was irrevocably tied to the Mersey Reds. After the Hillsborough Disaster of 1989, the words of the song gave hope to a grieving city. The words "YOU'LL NEVER WALK ALONE" are now cast in iron atop the Shankly Gates leading into Anfield.
Most Liverpool fans don't even realize that the song debuted on Broadway, in New York, in America, during the waning days of World War II.
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April 19, 1945 was a Thursday. It was 7 days after the death of President Franklin D. Roosevelt, 11 days before the death of Adolf Hitler, 19 days before Nazi Germany surrendered, and 4 months before Japan surrendered to end World War II.
April 19 was also the day of Game 5 of the Stanley Cup Finals. The Detroit Red Wings beat the Toronto Maple Leafs, 2-0 at the Olympia Stadium in Detroit.
In 1942, the Wings had won the 1st 3 games of the Finals, then the Leafs took the next 4, becoming the 1st team to come back from a 3-0 deficit to win a finals in any sport. It has since happened in other rounds, but never again in a finals. In 1945, it looked like it might be reversed: The Leafs took the 1st 3, then the Wings took the next 3. But the Leafs won Game 7 on April 22, and won the Cup.
And an entire slate of major league baseball games was played, and then some:
* The New York Yankees beat the Boston Red Sox, 4-3 at Yankee Stadium. No home runs, but George "Snuffy" Stirnweiss reached base 5 times: A double, 2 singles and 2 walks. Monk Dubiel went the distance for the win.
* A doubleheader was split at Braves Field in Boston. The New York Giants won the opener, 4-3. The Boston Braves won the nightcap, 13-5.
* The Brooklyn Dodgers beat the Philadelphia Phillies, 3-1 at Ebbets Field.
* The Washington Senators beat the Philadelphia Athletics, 4-3 at Shibe Park in Philadelphia. George Case, better known for his baserunning, won the game with a home run leading off the top of the 12th inning.
* The Chicago White Sox beat the Cleveland Indians, 14-6 at League Park in Cleveland.
* The Pittsburgh Pirates beat the Cincinnati Reds, 5-1 at Crosley Field in Cincinnati.
* The St. Louis Cardinals beat the Chicago Cubs, 8-2 at Wrigley Field in Chicago.
* And the Detroit Red Wings beat the St. Louis Browns, 1-0 at Sportsman's Park in St. Louis. Al Benton pitched a 4-hit shutout. Benton is better remembered as the only pitcher to strike out both Babe Ruth and Mickey Mantle.
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